1982 Volkswagen Bus/Vanagon

Van Camper

1.6L TD

Manual

WV2YG0256CH037262

Clear

Diesel

Just in time for foliage season, you can enjoy the beautiful fall in New England in our (soon to be your!) one-of-a-kind diesel Westfalia Vanagon with an Adventurewagen high top. One of the prior owners has transplanted the high top from an Adventurewagon onto a diesel Westfalia camper (formerly pop-top) so now there's always room to stand up inside, plus so much room for storage! Alternately, the van could sleep 4 - 2 up, 2 down, but you'd have to add a leaf to the top bed to extend it far enough for people to lie down - but we've used the top purely for storage and open space to stand up and move around freely. The high top makes it great for stealth camping - you never have to pop the top to camp, so you can pull over pretty much anywhere (we have!) and you're ready to spend the night. I've uploaded 50 pics to a Flickr album here. If you want to see pics of anything else, or if you want close ups of anything, just ask! [EDIT 8/21]Hubby pointed out that I forgot to include pictures of the engine compartment, so I've added a couple more to our Flickr pool. If there's anything else you want to see, let us know![/EDIT] I've also done a 16-minute video walkthrough, and then a second video adding even more information about this van. This is a van that came from the dry Southwest - we flew out to Arizona to purchase her in September 2013 - this is not a New England rust bucket van. Before that first winter, we had the undercarriage coated to prevent rust and salt damage, and we had the body painted last fall. (Now she's a beautiful yellow!) The only sign of rust we've seen on the van was inside the bottom front corner of the wall behind the sink, which we treated and sealed when we were doing internal camping upgrades. There was some minor cosmetic seam rust starting when we painted the van (one year in New England was all it took!) and 10 months later, it's showing through again in two spots - but it's very minor. I've posted the pics to the Flickr album. I also found two spots where the paint got chipped, and a small scratch, when I washed her this morning - I included pics of those, too. We've made SO MANY updates to the camping systems, as we bought this van with the intent of living and traveling extensively in her. We've almost completely redone the house electrical system, adding solar power for extended off-grid camping, updated charging capabilities when plugged into shore power, redid aging wiring, installed a brand new deep cycle battery... if you're interested in specifics, here's what we've done with the house electrical: Concorde SunXtender AGM Deep Cycle BatteryKyocera KD140SX Solar Panel (140 watt)SunSaver 15 Amp MPPTIota DLS-45 12v 45 Amp Regulated Battery Charger w/IQ4 3-stage charging (Charges house battery when plugged into shore power + providing power to operate camping equipment) Pentametric 3-Channel Battery Monitor System (monitors house battery, starter battery and solar panels)Blue Sea Accessory Blade Fuse Block (to operate camping accessories)Blue Sea Circuit Breakers to isolate/protect house battery, solar system, IOTA charger/shore powerBattery relay isolating house/starter batteryReplaced shore power connections with clean fittings, GFCI, replaced existing 110v outlet in camper with modern outlet + w/2 USB charging slots2 12v outlets under bench seat, +2 USB charging ports operated from 12v New wiring when possible, marine grade fittings, refresh/clean connections on existing wiring So we've got 2 12v outlets and 2 USB charging outlets by the bench seat, and there's a 12v outlet in the dash to power stuff up front. We've powered laptops, cameras, cell phones, refrigerator, fan, lights, stereo, heater, GPS - all with no problem due to charging system and solar panels - all without an inverter. If you need it, though, I do carry a 400W inverter in the van - it's just not hooked up because we've never needed it. We've updated the camping appliances, switching to a modern 12v/110 Truckfridge - stays much colder than the stock 3-way fridge, uses less electricity, operates off-level (the old propane ones were a bear to get to light and had issues off-level) - and even has a functional ice box that will safely store ice cream or ice cubes! We've added a propane heater because we've camped on some pretty cold nights, and we've switched to a modern faucet and a modern water pump for the water system. We've also re-plumbed the entire water system with new tubes and fittings, and just re-sanitized it a few weeks ago, so it's good to go! Again, if you want specifics: Propex HS2000 propane heaterTF-49 Truckfridge refrigeratorSHURflo faucet and upgraded water pumpBus Depot gray water holding tankAdded Carbon Monoxide detector (required by law in some states) and Propane Detector to ensure you're always leak-free and safe (went with separate units because they have more favorable reviews) Beyond that, she has the stock propane 2-burner stovetop. As a vehicle we were planning to live and camp in extensively, we also made a lot of updates to make the interior more comfortable, more functional or more pleasant to live in, including:New custom sunroof for Adventurewagen high top from Bomon Marine Equipment in Canada (Adventurewagen high top sunroofs are notorious for leaking - the old one leaked extensively every time it rained, but no-one sells a replacement, so we had one custom made - the new one keeps the inside bone dry!) Pergo Cross Sawn Chestnut wood flooring replacing stock camping interior carpet (Wood floors are much easier to keep clean - just give it a quick sweep and you're good to go! Plus it looks nice) Premium SewFine Vanagon Curtains in a cheerful peachy orange stripe pattern Premium Dynamat Soundproofing in both front and sliding doors, behind sink/stove cabinet and refrigerator, on engine compartment, under bench seat Replaced thermal insulation behind sink cabinet and stove, around refrigerator, in sliding door Added side access door and removable, adjustable shelves to closet behind bench seatUpgraded Bluetooth sound system w/hands-free calling (Alpine stereo + upgraded speakers in front and rear)Rhino Center Console from GoWestyInstalled slide-out cutting board above TF-49 FridgeCustom easy-remove dog bed on rear cabinets in front of closetUpgraded to Heavy Duty LT Truck Mirrors (Makes parking so much easier!) Mileage may change as we're still driving her. Also, mileage doesn't reflect the engine miles - the prior owner had the 1.6l TD installed by Ole Volks Home in Bend, OR - unknown number of miles on the engine. We've put ~15,000 miles on her since buying from the prior owner. We have, however, had the turbo rehabbed by a super-respected diesel Vanagon mechanic in Flagstaff, and he also installed a turbo pump at the same time. Before the turbo pump install, we were getting around 28mpg - now we're averaging around 21 mpg city/24 mpg highway, but she's got a bit more oomph and the turbo is actually functioning properly now. You can do 65 mph on the highway for sustained periods with the upgraded transmission - more if you've got a tailwind or you're going downhill. In terms of mechanical condition, we've done a ton of mechanical work since buying her. We've spent a fair amount of effort "undoing" or "fixing" things that "helpful" prior owners did to the van, including fixing the air filter, improving the engine mount, repairing the heater, replacing the missing slider door knob, replacing the driver's side window regulator, replacing the fuel expansion tank that one helpful PO removed, etc. In the time that we've had the van, we've been working to improve her every time she has a mechanical issue, so she got a new starter motor, new glow plugs, glow plug relay and the glow plug wiring harness has been rehabbed. She also got a new front brake master cylinder. Our mechanic did a total R&R on her brakes when we got her back to Boston, and she also had R/F upper & lower ball joint replacement, R/S outer tie rod end boot replaced, L/F upper ball joint boot replaced - all that stuff was addressed. I've got most of the mechanic invoices in a folder I'll give the new owner, and I can make my mechanic's name available if you want to call him to talk about the condition of the van (but you'd have to pay his hourly rate to chat, I think). We have additional mechanical projects we haven't yet completed, but have the parts for, including adding an aux air-to-oil cooler (which would involve relocating the starter battery), replacing the heater vent cowl that some PO removed, and replacing the bumper end caps that have gone missing under POs. Will include those parts with the van. We've also got oil and fuel filters we'll be including with the sale, as well as a spare driver's side window regulator that we bought from GoWesty that didn't work properly once we got it in the door (wouldn't roll all the way up). We've kept it around in case we need to steal parts from it, plus some spare window cranks as sometimes the driver's side window can be difficult to crank and we've broken some of the crappy pot metal ones when it's really cold and the metal is brittle/weakened. If you want to see the entire build thread, we've posted about the process on TheSamba from the moment we got the van: Fixing up the ol' '82 Diesel Vanagon. Currently, the only known mechanical issue on this van is a minor oil leak. The van had a minor oil leak when we got her, and she still has a minor oil leak nearly 2 years and 15,000 miles later. When we had one of the most-respected diesel Vanagon mechanics do some work on her in Flagstaff, he said the leak was probably around the head gasket, which is not uncommon, and is a minor issue at the moment. Our mechanic out here in New England confirmed it's not uncommon and we don't need to do anything about it right now. We occasionally top her up with more oil - she tends to drink a bit more when we're at highway speeds, but you'd rarely notice around town - but it's been minimal enough that we haven't worried about it. We love our Sally and it seems a shame to sell her now that we've got her all fixed up the way we want her. But as much as we've loved camping and traveling in her, we've decided we want something a bit more robust that can handle 4x4 and real offroad treks. Our loss is your gain - we know we've put way more money into this van than we can ever possibly recoup in selling her, but you're getting a wonderful one-of-a-kind camper van to enjoy and explore the U.S. Feel free to check out our Flickr photostream to get some pics of her in action on some of our adventures! (We've driven from Flagstaff to Boston in her, then the following year we did a trip from Boston to Flagstaff up through Yellowstone and back home to Boston, and she's been camping all over New England. The PO was a rock climber and she took the Vanagon all over the Southwest, and up along the West Coast. Not sure about the PO before that. Will you be the owner to show her the South and the Gulf Coast? Or will you take her back to familiar places she's already seen?)